African Swine Fever Hits 3 Pig Farms in Selangor, Should Consumers Be Worried? Here’s All You Need to Know

Three pig farms in Selangor were seized after being confirmed to be infected with African Swine Fever (ASF).

The State Exco for Infrastructure and Agriculture, Datuk Izham Hashim, said that two farms located in Sepang were seized on January 28 and February 5, while a farm in Kuala Langat faced the same action on January 28, involving a total of approximately 2,220 livestock.

In a press conference yesterday (February 6), Datuk Izham said 920 pigs from a farm in Sepang were disposed of on February 5, while the rest are in the process of being dealt with similarly.

“We believe that the ASF disease could have been caused by pigs from outside Selangor that were infected and entered the state.”

“This is also the first case in Selangor involving live pigs, as previously the infection was from animal carcasses.”

All the pigs that were inspected have been placed under quarantine by the farmers until results of the sample analysis are obtained, in accordance with the provisions under Subsection 18 (2) of the Animals Act 1953 [Act 647].

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Should consumers be worried?

In the press conference, Izham said that ASF is a non-zoonotic disease, meaning it does not affect humans and only infects domestic pigs and wild boars.

“The infection will cause a 100 percent mortality in livestock within two to ten days. So far, we have not yet received any reports about ASF infecting humans.”

“The public is also urged to immediately report any deaths of wild pigs or commercial pigs to the District Veterinary Services Office or the Selangor Veterinary Services Headquarters for further action.”

He reminded farmers to remain vigilant and enhance and tighten the biosecurity of their farms to curb the spread of ASF in Selangor.

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